New York - Mizuki Noguchi, the 2004 Olympic marathon gold medallist, one of only six women to run a marathon in under 2:20, has been named the 2005 Abebe Bikila Award winner.

The New York Road Runners has given the prestigious honour annually since 1978 to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to distance running, particularly through a spirit of deep commitment to the sport. Noguchi is the first Japanese recipient. 

New York Road Runners president and CEO and ING New York City Marathon race director Mary Wittenberg made today’s announcement. Wittenberg will present the award to Noguchi at the United Nations before the start of the Continental Airlines International Friendship Run on Saturday, 5 November, the day before the ING New York City Marathon. Noguchi is then expected to join a field of more than 15,000 people from around the world for the annual fun run through Midtown Manhattan.

Previous winners of the Abebe Bikila Award include Lasse Viren, Grete Waitz, Alberto Salazar, Bill Rodgers, Tegla Loroupe, and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Last year’s honoree was the 2004 men’s Olympic marathon champion, Stefano Baldini of Italy.

“Mizuki is richly deserving of this award, which honours her individual achievements as well as Japan’s rich tradition of Olympic and world champions,” said Wittenberg.

At the Athens Olympics, Noguchi won the gold medal in 2:26:20 after she courageously pulled away from a pack of runners and ran alone over punishing hills in the second half of the race.

Last month the 27-year-old Noguchi won the real Berlin Marathon in 2:19:12. She joined Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain), Catherine Ndereba (Kenya), Sun Yingjie (China), and compatriots Naoko Takahashi and Yoko Shibui as the only women to break the 2:20 barrier. Noguchi’s winning time set a Japanese record, eclipsing the old standard of 2:19:41 set by Shibui at Berlin in 2004. 

The award is named for the legendary Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila, one of only two people ever to win two Olympic marathon gold medals (Rome, 1960, and Tokyo, 1964). Just five years after his second Olympic victory, Bikila was in a car accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. However, until his death in 1973 Bikila remained an outspoken advocate of marathon running and helped bring international attention to the sport.

NYRR